Chinamen

The "Chinamen" were Chinese migrant workers who worked on the railroads of the American West during the late 19th century. Starting in the 1860s, many Chinese immigrants were put to work on building the First Transcontinental Railroad; 11,000 were working on the railroad by 1869. The Chinese would continue working on railroads for the next few years, but they would gradually be forced into other jobs due to anti-Chinese violence and the Chinese Exclusion Act. Today, the term "Chinaman" is considered offensive.